REP. MARK KIRK REAFFIRMS PLEDGE TO SUPPORT U.S. REAFFIRMATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS:Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) re-affirmed his pledge to support the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106, at a recent Chicago area reception in his honor hosted by the Armenian National Committee of Illinois (ANC of IL) on Saturday, October 20, 2007, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported. Speaking at the reception, Kirk told guests that he has always supported Armenian Genocide recognition, dating back to his early days serving in the U.S. military, his time as a Congressional staffer, and as an elected member of Congress.  He stressed that he would continue to encourage his colleagues to support the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, and thanked the ANC of Illinois for its civic activism and for the support it has extended to him throughout his political career. Recently, in a floor speech, he stated: "As a defender of human rights, America must formally recognize the genocide Hitler once dismissed so easily.  From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Turks systematically annihilated more than 1.5 million ethnic Armenians. There is no other way to describe this organized campaign of murder than as genocide."